Production of wearing apparel



Dec. 15,1942. A. B. SNOWDON 2,304,989

PRODUCTION OF WEARING APPAREL Filed Sept. 20, 1940 l AB. Snowdon yyww ATTOR Y Patented oec. 1s, 1942 PRODUCTION F WEARING APPAREL Arthur Bruce Snowdon, Hillsdale, N. J., assignor to Celanese Corporation of America, a' corporation of Delaware Application September 20, 1940, Serial No. 357,569

Claims.

This invention relates to the production of Wearing apparel, and relates more particularly to the production of wearing apparel by shaping textile material comprising thermoplastic derivatives of cellulose.

An object of my invention is to form wearing apparel of three-dimensional shape in an veconomical and expeditious manner by shaping textile material comprising filaments of 'thermoplastic derivatives of cellulose by the use of heat and moisture.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved process of forming three-dimensional articles of Wearing apparel employing textile material comprising filaments of thermoduction of brassires, hats, caps, suspensories i and other three-dimensional articles of Wearing apparel, it is of particular importance in the making of brassires and Will therefore be described in connection therewith.

Commonly, brassires are made by sewing together a relatively large number of small pieces of fabric. This method, aside from being complicatedl and cumbersome, results in an article having seams in the shaped portion which show through in an undesired manner. 'Ihe seams also form ridges which may cause discomfort to the wearer.

It` has been proposed to make brassires Without seams by molding, by means of a suitable forming device, relatively at textile material such as fabric comprising filaments or fibers of thermoplastic derivatives of cellulose. Under the influence of heat and pressure the filaments of thermoplastic derivatives o f cellulose become sufficiently soft or plastic to assume the shape of the forming device and upon cooling harden into such shape. Because of the thermoplasticity of the fibers comprising the fabric, the articles so formed retain theirshape substantially permanently and, therefore, do not become distorted when exposed to the elements.

'Howeven when subjected to repeated and vigorous washings and roping for the purpose of wringing, particularly in heated baths, there is a tendency for the shape portion to resume its original flat form. This maybe due in part to the heavy stress placed upon only part of the filaments or yarns of the fabric, while the stretched filaments receive none of the strain. In such operations there is also a slight tendency for the yarns of the fabric to slip over one another to equalize any strain, thereby tending to flatten out the three-dimensional breastcup when part of that breast-cup is formed by distortion of the stitchshape instead of molding action.

I have now found that brassires having breast-cups without seams and which permanently retain their shape under all conditions of use vcan be formed simply and expeditiously by laminating and shaping, with the aid of heat and moisture, relatively flat textile material such edges. f

In accordance with my invention the brassre is `made from an assembly of fabric comprising an outer layer of fabric, hereinafter called the brassire fabric, which may be of laments of natural silk, artificial silk or cotton or a mixture of these, an interliningcomprising a fabric `of filaments of a thermoplastic derivative of cellulose or a mixture of thermoplastic derivative of cellulose and cotton filaments, and an inner facing or lining which may be of the same material as the brassire fabric or of a different material, at least theinterlining of the assembly should be adhesive in character under the action of heat and pressure. Preferably, however, the brassire fabric is made Wholly of filaments of thermoplastic derivative of cellulose, as this material has been found to main'- tain the desired shape of the brassire better, and the interlining of a mixture of filaments of a thermoplastic derivative of cellulose and cotton. vThe thermoplastic derivative of cellulose may be any organic derivative of Acellulose such' anylfsuitablegfabzic which may be woven, circular knitted, warp knitted or netted.

In forming fabric and the interlining are first lightly bound together by pressing them on a dat surface with ing press. vThis light laminating operation which is preferably effected at a pressure of about 50 pounds per square slipping of the materials during the shaping operations.

The assembly, consisting of the brassire fabric, thermoplasticv interlining and lining, is then given a preliminary shaping by stretching the same over a suitable mold to a degree which is in excess of that desired in the finished article. Preferably, the preliminary stretching of the assembly is effected in the presence of a small amount of moisture such as may be applied to the assembly by means of wet towels. This excessive stretching may be eiiected'by means of a mold which is larger than the mold used in the final laminating step or, preferably, it may be effected by placing a cap overthe final mold and then forcing the material over the same by hand or by mechanical means. The excessively stretched assembly is then wetted, as by spraying with water, placed in a molding and laminating machine where it is finally molded, laminated and shrunk toY the desired size.v For the preliminary shaping I have found that satisfactory, results are obtained when the mold is heated from 275 to 325 F. whereas in the nal molding temperatures of 250 to 275 F. may be used. However, the temperatures will vary not only with the nature of the derivative of cellulose present in the textile material but also with the amount of the laminated fabric the brassire inch eliminates any relative moisture and organic compounds having a plasticizing action present.

I have found that this excessive stretching and subsequent shrinking of the breast-cup prevents loss of shape, total collapse and undesirable shrinkage of the breast-cups in use. The shrinkage of the breast-cups made in accordance with noticeable to the wearer.

For the purpose of further describing my invention reference is had to the accompanying drawing wherein Figure l is a side elevational view in cross section of a device which may be used in shaping and molding a brassire, and l Figure 2 is a detail view in cross section of a cap which lmay be placed over the male mold elements for the purpose of giving a preliminary shape to the article being made.

In the drawing there is shown a female mold section 3 having cavities 4 corresponding to the shape of the article desired. The female mold section 3 may be provided'with suitable ducts 5 through which may be circulated steam,l hot water, or other suitable heating medium which ducts may have any desired number of branch lines 6 leading to the inner surface of said Vcavities. Besides steam, solvent vapors or other iiuids may be injected into mold cavities. In place of .this invention is at most 1 to 2% and is'not ducts 5 and branch line 6 there may be provided openings in which may be placed any suitable type of heating elements such as electric conductance or resistance coils or open ame burners and the like. Any suitable means may be providedfor raising and lowering the female mold member as, for instance, a shaft l connectecl with a hand or mechanically operated raising and lowering mechanism as is well understood in the art. Suitably placed below the female mold section 3 is a male mold section 8 adaptedto register with the female mold section. The male mold section is provided with a duct or ducts '9i connected to the' surface of the male molds il by a plurality of branch lines l2 for the purpose of supplying heat and/or steam, water or other fluid to the working surface thereof.

Formed in the lower surface of the female mold section may be a groove i3 adapted to receive a gripping member I4 resiliently attached to the male mold section by means of shafts l5 operated against the action of springs I6. In order to obtain an excessive stretching of the textile fabric there is provided a cap Il adapted to fit over the surface of the male mold members H. The cap is preferably made of a material which readily conducts heat as, for example, aluminum, copper or lead.

In operation the textile material is rst stretched over the male mold member Il having the cap il thereon without the use of the female mold section. After this excessive stretching or shaping the cap member or members I1 are removed and the shaped material' is placed over the male members l I and subjected to the molding action o'. the machine employing both the male and female sections of the molding device.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be. made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises imparting a three-dimensional shape to textile material comprising filaments or fibers of a thermoplastic derivative of cellulose to` an extent greater than that .desired in the finished article, and then subjecting the shaped textile material to a molding operation `wherein said textile material is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

2. Method of forming articles of Wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises imparting a three-dimensional shape to textile mal terial comprising filaments or fibers of an organic derivative of cellulose to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then subjecting the shaped textile material to a molding operation wherein said textile material is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

3. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises imparting a three-dimensional shape to textile material comprising filaments or fibers -of cellulose acetate to an extent greater than that desired `in the finished article, and then subjecting the l shaped textile material to a molding operation wherein said textile material is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

4. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises imparting a three-dimensional shape to textile material terial comprising filaments or fibers Vof cellulose acetate to an extent greater than that desired in the nished article, and then subjecting the shaped textile material to a molding operation inA the presence of moisture wherein said textile material is molded and shrunk to the desired shape. y 6. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises imparting a three-dimensional shape to an assembly of textile fabrics at least one of which contains filaments or fibers of anorganic derivative of cellulose to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

7. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which. comprises imparting a three-dimensional shape to an assembly of textile fabrics at least one of which contains filaments o r bers of cellulose acetate to an extent greater than that desired in the flnished article, and then subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

8. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises forming an assembly of fabrics by laminating on `a 4at surface a plurality of fabrics at least one of which contains filaments or bers of an organic derivative of cellulose, stretching the assembly into a three-dimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

9. Method of forming articles of wearing i* apparel or similar articles, which comprises forming an assembly of fabrics by laminating on a ,flat surface a plurality of. fabrics at least one of which contains fllamentsor bers of cellulose acetate, stretching the assembly into a threedimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly is molded and shrunk to the desired shape.

10. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises forming an assembly of fabrics by lightly laminating on a at surface a plurality of fabrics at least one of which contains filaments or fibers of an organic derivative of cellulose, stretching the assembly into a three-dimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in .the nished article, and4 then subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly is molded, shrunk to the desired size and completely laminated.

11. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel` or similar articles, which comprises forming an 'assembly of fabrics by lightly laminating on a flat surface a plurality of fabrics at least one of which contains laments or bers of cellulose acetate, stretching the assembly into a threedimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the nished article, and then subjecting the 'shaped assembly to a molding operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly ismolded, shrunk to the desired size and completely laminated. i

12. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises forming an assembly of fabrics by lightly laminating on a fiat surface a plurality of fabrics at least one of which contains laments or bers of an organic Vderivative of cellulose, stretching'the assembly in the presence of a small amount of moisture into a three-dimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the nished article. and then subjecting the shaped assembly to a moldingV operation in the presence of moisture wherein said assembly is molded, shrunk tothe desired size and completelylaminated.

13. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises forming an assembly of fabrics by lightly laminating on a at surface a plurality of fabrics at least one of which contains filaments or bers of cellulose acetate, stretching the assembly in the presence of a small amount of moisture into a threedimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation sembly in the presence of-asmall amount of moisture into a three-dimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then wetting'the shaped assembly with water and subjecting the Shaped assembly to a molding operation wherein said assembly is molded, shrunk to the desired size and completely laminated. l

15. Method of forming articles of wearing apparel or similar articles, which comprises formmg an assembly of fabrics by lightly laminating on a fiat surface a plurality of fabrics at least one of which contains laments or bers of cellulose acetate, stretching the assembly in the presence of a small amount of moisture into a threedimensional shape to an extent greater than that desired in the finished article, and then wetting the shaped assembly with water and subjecting the shaped assembly to a molding operation wherein said assembly is molded, shrunk to the desired size and completely laminated. 4

BRUCE SNOWDON. 

